Meet Our Doctor

The part of dentistry Dr. Karen Parvin loves most is the people.

She loves getting to know her patients and having the opportunity to make a real difference in their lives. Sometimes that means helping someone get healthy again or eat comfortably. Sometimes it's helping a patient who has spent years dealing with worn or failing teeth. And sometimes it's giving someone a smile they finally feel good about.

That's what has kept dentistry rewarding for her over the years.

Dr. Parvin especially enjoys restorative and esthetic dentistry, including more complex cases. She likes figuring out why something is happening, looking at the whole picture, and developing a plan that makes sense for that particular patient. She doesn't believe that more dentistry is always better. Sometimes the best plan actually means doing less.

Education, Training & Service

Dr. Parvin earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Vanderbilt University and her dental degree from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry.

After dental school, she served as a dentist in the United States Navy and completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency. Her husband is also a Navy veteran, so the military community has been an important part of their lives.

Dr. Parvin is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD) and a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (D.ABDSM). She has spent hundreds of hours in advanced education throughout her career, with extensive training in cosmetic, restorative and reconstructive dentistry, occlusion, and dental sleep medicine. Her training has also included advanced coursework through The Dawson Academy.

She continues to take courses because she loves learning, but also because she wants to provide the highest level of care. When she learns something that can improve the way she diagnoses, plans, or treats a case, she brings that knowledge back to her patients.

How She Approaches Dentistry

Dr. Parvin doesn't look at a tooth without considering the rest of the person. Depending on the situation, that may mean looking at the bite, gums and bone, jaw joints and muscles, airway, habits, and patterns of wear. She determines why a problem developed in the first place.

She also tries to preserve healthy tooth structure whenever it makes sense. Sometimes orthodontics before restorative treatment means far less tooth structure needs to be removed. Sometimes a veneer makes more sense than a crown. Sometimes a healthy tooth should simply be left alone. And when more extensive treatment really is needed, she wants to understand why and plan it carefully.

Complex cases are planned well before the final restorations are made. Dr. Parvin may use digital design, models, trial smiles, and temporary restorations to work through the plan and make any needed changes along the way.

"We don't just hope you're going to like the final result. We build opportunities into the process to evaluate and refine it before we get there."

She takes the same approach to esthetics. Dr. Parvin wants restored teeth to look like they belong. A beautiful result shouldn't look like the same smile was placed on every patient. It should look natural on that person.

Outside the Office

Away from dentistry, Dr. Parvin enjoys spending time with her husband and their two college-age children. With both kids away at school, she especially enjoys opportunities to visit them and spend time together.

She loves being outdoors, whether she's at the beach, exploring a national park, or spending time with her dogs. She's a college football fan and has recently started learning mahjong.

For Dr. Parvin, dentistry has always been about more than teeth. She loves the relationships she develops with her patients and the fact that the work she does can genuinely change someone's life for the better.